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Oldboy

Play trailer 1:56 Poster for Oldboy R Released Mar 25, 2005 1h 58m Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
82% Tomatometer 160 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he's abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.
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Oldboy

Oldboy

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Critics Consensus

Violent and definitely not for the squeamish, Park Chan-Wook's visceral Oldboy is a strange, powerful tale of revenge.

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Critics Reviews

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David Sims The Atlantic There’s a core element of emotional realism that accentuates Park’s brutal narrative beats, leaving us to ponder something more than a bloody body. Aug 22, 2023 Full Review Kambole Campbell Little White Lies A lurid, complex, introspective beast, enacting astonishing cruelty on its protagonist like a slow-acting poison. Rated: 4/5 Jul 29, 2019 Full Review Jami Bernard New York Daily News Both brutal and lyrical, writer-director Park Chan-wook's existential nail-biter has torture scenes that will have you avoiding dentists, sushi bars and badly appointed hotel rooms. Rated: 5/5 Apr 15, 2013 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast Park peppers his tragedy with sumptuous production design and a lot more humor than you'd expect. Rated: 4/5 Aug 4, 2025 Full Review William Schwartz HanCinema I don't think I can write in good conscience that this is a bad movie. The camerawork is excellent, as are the performances. There's just not much of a point to it. Jun 21, 2025 Full Review Tom Spoors Loud and Clear Reviews Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy may frequently shock and disgust you, but you’ll find yourself unable to look away from the excellent filmmaking on display. Rated: 4.5/5 Jan 7, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Len great movie but ending is......ick Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/09/23 Full Review Karina I was taken way far aback with this one but my god what a master class in filmmaking and payoff that leaves you revolted and amazed. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/31/23 Full Review Frank classic movie still holds up to this day one of my favorite Korean films of all time and it was good to see it in the movie theater cuz the last time I seen this movie was on TV back in the day when I was in high school Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Kennath If you’re less than an hour away from a showing and you have never seen? GO Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/27/23 Full Review Mr. Hollywood One of the best films ever made! Great story, great cinematography, great acting, great editing, great sound design. Great great great! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/26/23 Full Review Carolyn D Wholly original, visually stunning and masterfully acted and directed! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Park Chan-wook

Director

Choi Min-sik

Dae-su Oh

Yoo Ji-tae

Woo-jin Lee

Kang Hye-jung

Mi-do

Ji Dae-han

No Joo-hwan

Oh Dal-su

Park Cheol-woong

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Oldboy

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Oldboy

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he's abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.
Director
Park Chan-wook
Producer
Kim Dong-ju
Screenwriter
Im Jun-hyeong, Hwang Jo-Yoon
Distributor
Tartan Films USA
Production Co
Egg Films, Show East
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 25, 2005, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Aug 16, 2023
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.7M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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